1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new process for preparing meso/racemic-[bis(indenyl)ethane]zirconium dichloride compounds and their use as catalysts in the polymerization or copolymerization of olefins.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The existing synthetic procedures for the preparation of meso/racemic-[bis(indenyl)ethane]zirconium dichlorides involve time consuming preparative and purifying steps, the catalyst prices being in the range of 8000-10000 U.S. dollars/kg. According to these procedures, the racemic isomer is formed as the main component since the aim of these procedures was to provide more and more (higher than 95%) of this racemic isomer for the ITP production purpose and it can be isolated after the purification with 99% of purity.
Thus there is a need in the art for an improved, modified and simple process to lower the Racemic catalyst production and to facilitate the accessibility of the meso isomer or highly meso enriched mixture of the two isomers. Additionally, an easy route for the separation of the two isomers is required to replace the conventional method of separation, i.e. the fractionation crystallization, which is not acceptable for the large scale catalyst production.